Residents, community groups tell Maui committee: don’t convert apartment zones into visitor housing

Multiple residents and community organizations urged the Housing & Land Use Committee to reject blanket rezoning that would convert apartment districts into permanent hotel use. Testimony emphasized that many apartment buildings were originally intended to provide workforce housing and that wholesale exemptions would reduce the supply of long‑term housing for local families.

Jade Moreno of Maui Housing Hui said Bill 9 was intended to "increase the housing supply available to the people who live and work here," and warned that piecemeal exemptions could "weaken the legislation before its impact can even be meaningfully evaluated." Other speakers including Jordan Hawker and members of Lahaina Strong described how apartment units support neighborhood life and asked the council to prioritize residents' access to housing over investor returns.

Speakers also pressed for technical review of each parcel’s remaining useful life, insurance availability, and shoreline hardening history before any reclassification. The committee directed staff to prepare referral packages and scheduled further discussion on Sept. 9, 2027.